


Don't Anger the Bird

by random_fandom_phantom



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Basiacally my boy is bird now, Bird Starscream, Feral Behavior, Feral Bird Starscream, Feral Starscream, Fluff, Gen, Kinda?, Minor Angst, Nesting, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Prompt Fic, references to past abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:23:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29794638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/random_fandom_phantom/pseuds/random_fandom_phantom
Summary: It's been months since Starscream fled from the Nemesis, mysteriously disappearing into the wilderness without a trace.  Isolated and starving, the Seeker starts to go feral, falling back on basic programming to deal with the stress of the situation. Forgetting who he was, where he came from, and even what's happening around him, he survives without being noticed. That is, until, recently...An unbetaed, borderlinecrack ficthat spawned from me going "seeker but bird." You don't have to take this seriously if you don't want to.
Relationships: Starscream & Optimus Prime
Comments: 62
Kudos: 98





	1. Organization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess I should say that this is _kinda_ a prompt fic? I has a timeline and I do want the chapters to go in chronological order, but at the same time y'all can suggest prompts in the comments. OH, and uh, I gotta say some things about this fic before we begin!
> 
>   * Starscream's behavior is partially based off that of a Bower bird, but I also draw on other birds (like crows and Cockatoos) for inspiration as well! 
>   * If needed, I'll make a chapter describing the intricacies of Feral!Starscream's behavior. I have a lot to say about him! 
>   * Starscream speaks his own language in this. It's similar to Vosian, but more _bird-like_ I suppose? There's no good way to describe it. However, when he's speaking in his little language, the dialouge will be flanked by hyphens and italicized. 
>   * No, Feral!Starscream cannot understand others. With him, it's like talking to your dog about calculus: they understand tone and volume, not what you're actually saying 
>   * Chapters that are prompt based and separate from the story will be marked as such in their titles. 
> 


Starscream chirped again, murmuring to himself. - _"No… no… not right… not right…"-_ He chirred, wings twitching in irritation. The pile of… _items_ he had collected was mocking him. The bright red plastic pieces mixed with the red crystal bits with the rusty red clay and rocks, which clashed with the pink shells. He had already spent two hours getting this pile together, and he _hated_ how it look. It just didn’t look right! It bothered the seeker to no end.

He hissed, and dug his long claws into the pile and pulled back, sending everything across the floor. This was supposed to be a show of how good he was at FINDING THINGS. He was a Seeker, he could find things other than Energon! He could find shiny bits, cool bits, impressive things! It was a display that said “Look how sharp-eyed _I_ am! Look what _I_ can find!” Nothing could escape him, not even the smallest metal chain.

Also, he thought they were cool, and he liked showing off what he had. 

Not like there was anyone to show it off to.

Starscream felt crippling loneliness wash over him, and it temporarily swallowed the nonstop stress and anxiety he had been feeling since… well… forever. He had been totally alone and isolated since he came here. He had felt lonely before he came here, though where exactly he had come from was… fuzzy to him. He remembered large, long hallways. They were always dark. He was always being watched, being judged… being _hit_. There was yelling, pleading, begging, muttering, plotting… there was never a moments peace. But most of all, despite this place being occupied, was the never ending loneliness. He had no friends, no allies. He had, once before, a long long time ago… but they were gone. It send painful twangs through his spark to try and think about it. Like something had been ripped out of it.

He was even more lonely on the Harbinger here as well. He had nobody to talk to but himself. There was nobody like him on this planet. Sure, there were small feathered organics, who could fly as high up as he could, but never as fast. At least he felt a small connection to them, but they were tiny. There were other things as well: furred herbivores with large horns. Large, fat, furry beasts who would stand on their hind legs and roar at him. He would hiss right back, and then take a few threatening steps forward, and they would leave. But the creatures he saw most of all were these strange, squishy-looking bipeds. Their cities were spread across the earth, and something in his processor always said to _stay far away_. They may have been small, but there were many. He didn’t want to be discovered and chased out of his only safe spot, his nest. So, he stayed far away from the cities, the towns. He spent all his time in the wild, perched on the mountains or in the skies, searching non-stop for Energon. 

Starscream realized he had been staring off into space. He shook his helm, murmuring a small - _“Need to focus”_ \- to himself, and continued sorting through the remnants of the pile. He stared at the rocks, plastics, chains, and whatever else had been in it, rocking on his heeled peds. He thought about what to do… then thought some more… than some more… he absentmindedly started playing with the small bits in between his talons. Then a little light bulb went off in his head. He should probably organize by hue, value, and type. The red crystals stay with the red crystals, the clay and rocks stay together, plastics with plastics, etc. Etc. 

It was ingenious. Starscream didn’t know why he hadn’t thought about it earlier. He chuckled a little to himself, fluttering his wings excitedly. Yes, yes, that would be _perfect_. He focused on the color and type of his trinkets again. Him focusing on this, sorting what he had, helped passed the time, kept him from pacing constantly or worrying over his Energon. Helped keep him awake. For a while, he just recharged to pass the time, on-and-off naps that ended up keeping him awake at night. Now, he found something new to pass the time. Organization. He was _obsessed_ with making his home, the Harbinger, look good. He wanted nothing to be out of place. It was _his_ ; _his_ home, _his_ nest, _his_ burrow, _his_ castle, _his_ safe place. He wanted that to be known. He already did so with the outside: the small stone cairns and the lines in the dirt that circled the entirety of the Harbinger, reinforced by sticks, dirt, and stone, made that abundantly clear. The Harbinger was his. 

The piles of trinkets only made that more clear. It meant he would find the intruders that dared barge into _his_ home, no matter how small or fast they were. Plus, they helped spice up the dark an drab halls a bit. Starscream was never a fan of such _crippling_ darkness, it reminded him too much of being underground. He would always try and widen the rooms, make them seem bigger. The little trinket piles would help, maybe. They would brighten up the wreckage, bring some light into his life. He gently placed some more bright red plastic on the current pile, starting to get lost in thought again, thinking about the Harbinger

He was thinking about moving his current sleeping area to the upper decks. Maybe even building a _proper_ nest. He had just been sleeping on whatever was available: old berths, shelves, exposed vents in the walls, chairs, the occasional computer console. He had slept on the floor a couple times. It worked, yes, but it wasn’t a nest. He knew some of the rooms on the top floor had roof access: millenniums of being exposed to the elements meant that part of the roof had caved in. Starscream liked access to the open sky, it meant he didn’t have to walk through long dark corridors to be able to transform and shoot off into the pale blue sky. Plus, being able to always look up and see the clouds made Starscream smile. He never wanted to be trapped in the dark again.

He knew, or at least felt like he knew, that he had been denied the sky before. He knew how deep the hungry claws of Sky-call would dig, and the thought of that made him shiver. It was awful. It almost drove him mad… if he wasn’t crazy already. A part of Starscream’s processor said he _was_ crazy, that he had fallen back on base programming that had been in every Seeker for millions of years due to the stress of the situation, but such words weren’t loud enough to be brought to the fore-front of his mind. He wasn’t _crazy_ , he was dealing with the situation as best as he could. Starscream had nowhere left to go, best he could do was make his little piles and search for energon and live as best as he could. 

Speaking of making piles…

Starscream was now staring at a small collection of bright red plastic bits in his palm. He cooed at the it as if it were a child, holding the small thing in his hands. He was proud of his work, this looked _perfect_. He slid it aside, and started to work on another pile of dark red rocks. He had a lot of work ahead of him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed this fic, maybe consider giving a Kudos and leaving a comment! I worry that people don't like my work frequently! Also, uh, if you notice any of my more... uhm, _serious_ grammatical or textual errors, feel free to tell me! Don't be worried to leave a prompt either!
> 
> _"Crow Man Tweaks, More at 8." **-Trumpet, 2021**_


	2. Nesting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starscream decides to make the Harbinger his OFFICIAL home and builds a nest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah more bird tendencies! I based Starscream's little nest off a Bowerbird nest. You know, the ones that look like this:
> 
> Yeah, it looks like that, except maybe a bit more _smooshed_ and not as flat. Also, there's a base made out of, like, metal scraps and shit. Seeker need a little bit of padding between them and the coldass ground/floor. ALSO ONCE AGAIN THIS SHIT IS UNBETAED SO ENJOY ALL THE ERRORS

It was, in Starscream’s opinion, the _perfect_ room for his plans. 

He landed gracefully on the roof of the Harbinger, barely catching the supplies he brought with him that had been tossed into the air when he Transformed. Standing on the edge of the hole before him, he peered down into the small room. Or, at least, what _remained_ of the room. The roof had caved in long ago, due to the constant bombardment of the elements on the derelict ship. What had once been a far larger room, it’s purpose not known to the seeker, had now become quite small. Large sheets of bent metal, with the curled ends of torn wires or the crushed remains of pipes sticking out in between the plates in some places, formed a hearty, wall-like barrier around the door. A large support beam had fallen at an angle, originating at the far left corner of the room with the broken end resting at the foot of the doorway in the corner diagonal to it. The metal sheets on top had been leaned against the side facing the door, meaning whomever was behind them couldn’t be seen unless they stepped over and _around_ the fallen support. Not like anyone could see from the doorway; the walls and the door itself had buckled in and crumpled, with the only way in from the hall through a small opening at the top. The seeker could just _barely_ fit, but it was an uncomfortable squeeze, so he preferred to enter and leave through the open roof. Meaning if a grounder wanted to get in, they either had to destroy the walls, or climb up to the roof by the outside of the ship and get in that way, or (if they were small enough) try and squeeze through the hole and risk Starscream ripping their help and upper chassis apart. None of those options were favorable for them, meaning Starscream almost always had the advantage. 

This room, in Starscream’s eyes, was _very, very, very_ safe. Which made it perfect. He liked feeling safe, because when he felt safe, he felt comfortable. It had been a while since he had felt truly safe, always worrying about if he was going to die every time he was in our out of the… wherever he had lived before. No matter where he had been, the threat of being hurt or even _dying,_ loomed over him. But that was behind him now! Here, he was safe, and he would make a nest, because this place? This place was his _home_. The nest would be the finishing touch. With a little excited chirp and a wiggle of his wings, he hopped down into the room, landing on his peds gracefully. He dumped the shreds of metal and wire he had in his arms onto the _disturbingly_ large pile in front of the doorway. 

Starscream had _trashed_ the Harbinger for supplies. He had torn apart the furniture and even torn into the _walls_ in some places. He had completely wrecked the place, mostly because when he was being very specific about what he wanted. He was not another Earth avian: he would not make his nest out of _sticks_ and other disgusting organic material. His nest would be made only out of metal. Plus, there weren’t any sticks large enough for him to make a nest out of them. So, he had to resort to destroying and ripping apart the furniture to get what he needed.

He already knew _where_ he was building the nest. Under the support beam, diagonal from the door, behind the metal plates. He would be hidden there, and the plates could also provide some support for his nest. This wouldn’t be too hard, at least Starscream didn’t think so. His instincts knew what to do, he would listen to them. This would be easy, simple, and quick. 

Hours later, and Starscream had been proven very wrong. 

He was swearing under his breath, making irritated chirps and grumbled, wings twitching every time something went _wrong_. He had laid down the base layer of small, woven metal bits, thick enough to provide some protection from the hard ground. That layer was fine, though it had taken a while. A lot of weaving had been involved, something Starscream said he _wouldn’t_ do, yet he found himself doing it anyway. Stupid seeker instincts. No, the _walls_ were the hard part. He kept trying to put them up, but they always fell back down. The Seeker was starting to get frustrated, and even considered stopping.

He let out a long growl that eventually turned into a sigh when the metal walls collapsed in on himself again. He buried his faceplates in his servos, feeling… angry? Yes, he supposed he was angry. Angry at himself. He couldn’t build a simple nest. Stupid. Worthless. Useless, Useless, _USELESS_ -

Starscream quickly cut off that train of thought. He was none of those things, no matter what any other bot said. He just didn’t understand. Yes, Didn’t understand what he was doing wrong. This was a puzzle, an easy one, one he was going to solve. He wasn’t those things, he wasn’t stupid. He just needed to figure it out. The seeker took a deep invent, clearing out the fallen scraps of what _should_ have been the walls of his nest. He took a step back, looking between his supplies and the base of his nest. Repeatedly. Back and forth. Comparing what he had to work with and what he had already made. With an unsure hand, he reached over for one of the larger metal scraps, planting it in the nest base and leaning it against the plating leaning against the support beam. It didn’t fall over immediately. With a bit more curiosity, Starscream reached for a metal scrap of similar size, repeating the action. It, too, didn’t fall over.

He repeated that, again and again, until the seeker had something resembling a covered nest. But it still didn’t look _right_. It continued to bother the seeker to no end. There were holes in the parts, letting to much light into the nest for Starscream’s liking. Plus, if it _rained_ , he would get wet. So, he started to put little wires and the smaller metal scraps into the gaps and holes, and eventually his mind started to drift off again. He could hear himself murmuring nonsense to himself, the repetitive nature of this part of the nest-building process numbing his brain. Hours flew past, but by the time the lithe seeker stepped back to admire his work, he could barely remember anything that happened in them.

With tired arms, Starscream stepped back. It was dark, the sun having set a while ago, and the only light was the red glow the seeker’s optics gave off. He stared down at his nest. It was big enough for him to crawl into, sleep in, turn over in (as long as he kept his wings against his back.) While it certainly wasn’t a berth, it felt (and looked) a whole lot safer than one. Starscream put his hands on his hips and straightened his backstrut, very proud of himself, before a wave of exhaustion hit him. He was… very tired. He had spent the whole day gathering supplies and making his nest, and it had certainly drained him of all his energy. He sighed, crawling inside the safe darkness.

- _”Hmph,”_ \- He grumbled, shifting trying to get comfortable against the itchy scratchiness of the nest bedding, - _”I’ll find some padding tomorrow. This isn’t very comfortable.”_ -

Slight discomfort aside, the nest was very much secure. Starscream gave off a sleepy, happy little chirr, fluttering his wings (as much as he could in such an enclosed space anyway) as he started to drift off into recharge.

For the first time in a long, _long_ time, Starscream didn’t recharge with his back to the wall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Remember to leave comments and kudos, if you wanna! The reason why I specified that Starscream slep with his back facing away from the wall is that, due to abuse, he is (or was?) very paranoid of an attack, and thus would never sleep with his back open. Since he feels safer now, he sleeps with his back open.
> 
> _"Starscream will raid a mattress store."_ **-Trumpet, 2021**


	3. [Prompt]: "Terry there's a giant robot on the roof."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I'm working on an ACTUAL CHRONOLOGICAL CHAPTER (Writing the Autobots is a nightmare AND anxiety inducing) take this shitpost of a prompt chapter. Kenneth and Terry freak out over a giant robot, Starscream is burb, and now everyone knows that Cybertronians are a thing. HELLA unbetaed.

Kenneth McBowtry was not an intelligent man. He was a strong man, a construction worker, but it didn’t take a genius to notice the mess of black cabling, copper and plastic wiring, and various other construction materials that were now hanging from the steel supports of the skyscraper they were constructing. The site itself was a mess: giant footprints, materials and whatnot thrown about, a couple pieces of heavy-duty equipment were knocked over. And that was what he could see through the safety fence! Lord only knew what it looked like through the gate. With the click of his key fob, he locked the doors of his shitty little ‘94 Toyota. He really needed to replace the damn thing, it was breaking down every other month.

“’Ay! ‘Ay! Kenneth! Wait up!” 

Kenneth immediately wanted to take an Aspirin and go lie down in the break room. He forced himself to take a deep breath before turning to face the southern-redneck profile of his co-worker, Terry Davis. Terry, unironically, sounded exactly like Larry the Cable Guy, if a bit deeper, and good lord was he just as southern. Terry actually _lived_ in the city, in some shitty little apartment on the west side, close to the site, unlike Kenneth who lived out in the suburbs. Meaning Terry _walked_ to work. And currently, he was sprinting towards Kenneth to keep up with him. 

The sweating, gross, panting form of Terry stopped in front of Kenneth. God, he was so sweaty and they hadn’t even started work yet. Kenneth just came in early because he woke up early and couldn’t fall back asleep! He had no clue why Terry was here! Kenneth just grit his teeth into a mock smile. “Good morning, Terry, you’re here early.”

Terry sucked in a sharp breath. “’Ah know, ‘Ah know! Had t’, uh, leave work earlah yesterday. Wanted t’ be here early, ya know? T’ make up fer it.”

Kenneth didn’t remember Terry leaving early yesterday, but then again Kenneth preferred forgetting about how sore he was after work by driving home and slamming back a cold one. So usually such minute detail was forgotten. “I see… well-” Kenneth was cut off by Terry going up to the fence and suddenly yelling.

“Oh baby Jesus! What t’ hell happened here?” The southern man shouted. Kenneth just groaned quietly.

“I’m pretty sure the site looking like a Hurricane just swept through is the least of our problems, Terry-”

“Least of our Problems,” Lerry yelled again, “If t’ boss sees this, how’d’ya think hes gonna _react_?!” 

Oh. That was a good point. But then again, even Kenneth’s bastard of a boss couldn’t dispute that the weird tangled mass currently hanging from the support beams was _way_ too high up and _way_ too large for even two construction workers to make, even overnight. If anything, they needed to look around the place, make sure they had a reasonable explanation for what the hell _happened_ to make such a mess. Kenneth sighed. “Well, then we better start looking around to see what the hell _made_ this mess, Terry!” He huffed.

A few moments later, the two men were romping around the site with hard hats on and confusion in their eyes. The site looked even worse when you were standing in it. If it wasn’t for the fact that this was the middle of the US, one would have actually thought a hurricane ripped through here. Stuff was strewn about, as if something large had crashed into it while searching for something, or ripped to shreds. The damage in the bottom floors (which were partially completed) looked more like giant claw marks. Kenneth shuddered when he saw them. God, they didn’t match any animal that Kenneth knew of! Plus, there were these strange dents on the building, like someone (or something) heavy had stepped on the metal and the wood while climbing.

“Oh lord,” Terry drawled, “What are we gonna do? This place is a mess!”

Kenneth was busy staring at the… mess of cable and wire at the top of the bu idling. “I think that’s the least of our problems, Terry.”

“What the hell do ya mean by that?! The boss is gonna-” Terry whipped around, and saw that Kenneth was staring up. The southern man followed his gaze, “Oh shit.”

“You see it to?”

“Yup. I do.”

The two men stood in silence, staring at the large knot for a while.

“We should probleh see whats up there.” Terry said suddenly.

“Agreed.”

“You still got that drone in yer backseat?”

Kenneth swore internally. How the FUCK did Terry know that he had bought a drone a while back, yet kept forgetting to take it out of his goddamn car?! Eventually, however, that anger passed, and he let out an exhausted sigh.

“Yes.”

“Good. Uh, could’ya maybe go and, er, get it?”

Kenneth sighed in defeat. “… Yes. Please keep an eye on… whatever the hell _THAT_ is!”

≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡

“What… the actual… goddamn… fuck…”

Kenneth had no clue what he was staring at. Terry’s jaw was _agape_ and he looked like he just couldn’t believe what he was looking at. He ended up pulling out his phone and taking a couple pictures of the camera screen on the drone’s remote. It wasn’t a very good quality image, but it _worked_. 

That mess of cable, wires, and metal hanging from the roof? It wasn’t just a random ball of stuff. It was flat, like a pancake, suspended in the air by, get this, _more cabling_ that was tied to the steel support beams they had put up. And on top of that… Platform? Nest? Stage, whatever it was called, was a Giant. Fucking. Robot.

“Terry… Terry _oh my god-_ ”

“’Ah think ‘ah’m hallucinatin’-”

“TERRY THERE’S A GIANT ROBOT ON THE ROOF!”

“’AH CAN SEE THAT KENNETH!”

Kenneth actually grabbed one of Terry’s shoulders. “WHAT THE HELL ARE WE GOING TO DO?”

“CALL TH’ GODDAMN POLICE MAYBE? ‘AH DUNNO?!”

Kenneth slumped his shoulders. “How the hell- I don’t- _Where did it come from?!_ ”

“Th’ government. Th’ Government doin’ all kinda crazy shit. This’s gotta be one of them things.”

Kenneth facepalmed, the remote in one hand. “Terry do you realize how stupid you sound?! That looks too _advanced_ to be man-made!”

“Are ya suggestin’ it’s a fuckin’ ALIEN er some shit?!”

“I DUNNO WHAT THE FUCK IT IS, PERIOD!”

The two just angrily stared at each other, then returned their eyes to the screen on the remote. The robot was just _laying_ there, the large wings (where they wings? They reminded Kenneth of the wings on a Jet and not, like, Bird Wings…) fluttering occasionally. Occasionally a finger (God look at the size of those claws) would twitch, or a foot (Where those… HEELS???) would move a little bit. Kenneth raised an eyebrow. “Whats… whats it doing?”

“Is it _dead_?” Terry asked.

Kenneth squinted. “I think it’s… _sleeping_?”

Terry snorted. “Robots don’ sleep, Kenny”

“IT’S KENNETH!”

“Same thing.”

Kenneth sighed again. “Either way, we need to call the police. FBI. _SOMEBODY_ ,” He shoved the remote into Terry’s greasy hands, “Keep it steady. Don’t aggravate the goddamn robot, I’m in NO MOOD to die today, Terry. I’m calling the police.”

Terry just nodded, looking like he was about to go into shock, holding the drone steady while Kenneth pulled out his shitty flip phone and dialed 911. Holding the receiver to his ear, he heard a lady on the other end pick up.

“9-1-1 what’s your emergency?”

“Hi, yes, I would like to report a giant _robot_ on the roof…”

≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡

5 hours.

Kenneth and Terry had been confined to the construction site by police, men in suits, a dude that introduced himself as “Bill” (Kenneth doubted that was his real name,) and various other people with some degree of authority for _5 hours_. They had demanded he land his drone, so he had no idea what the hell the giant robot had been doing for those past _5 hours_. However, considering how calm the scene was, it was safe to assume that the damn thing was still sleeping. In the neighboring high rises, people were staring out their open windows and looking _very worried_. They could see the robot. Terry and Kenneth, however, where more preoccupied with sitting on a crate and eating their lunches. Terry had packed… coleslaw and a grilled cheese. Gross. Kenneth just had half of a Sub sandwich and some apples. 

He had been nibbling his way down the sub when the red-and-blue semi had shown up.

Even Terry had to admit it was an _interesting_ color scheme. Bright red and blue. Very eye blinding. Kenneth was suspicious of the truck, even more so when this “Bill” character came over to it and started _talking to the truck_. Kenneth felt like he was hallucinating. This _had_ to be a dream of some kind.

Bill turned, feeling Kenneth’s wide-eyed stare, and then sighed. He talked to the truck for a while longer, before the truck started _unfolding_. It was like watching Origami in reverse. Suddenly, it was not a truck, but _another fucking robot_. Terry and Kenneth just stared as the thing towered over them. It nearly crushed Kenneth’s car by accident, not that would have been to big of a loss (Would it? Did his insurance even cover “Car crushed by giant, fuck you robot?”) because the damn thing was so old. However, he just stood there, continuing to listen to the Bill fellow yell at him, ignoring the people taking pictures from their windows.

All the robot said after a while was, “I would like to do this without harming the humans, Agent Fowler. Our cover has since been blown anyway, thanks to Starscream, and I’m sure the humans would tell us what we need to know.”

Holly _**SHIT** _did that Robot have a _deep voice_. It reminded Kenneth of his father.

‘ _Agent Fowler_ ’ just sighed. “Fine. Thought if they run away screaming, don’t blame me. You’re a giant robot, Prime.”

The robot (Prime?) just nodded, and started walking towards them. Holly SHIT the ground was SHAKING under his footsteps. He walked a few yard away from Kenneth and Terry (Terry was now behind the crate,) both agape and shaking, and fucking _knelt_. He knelt in front of them. The two construction workers just swore internally.

“Do you know how to get up there without causing any damage?” He asked, pointing to the nest.

Kenneth squeak. “Are… Are you gonna remove… the giant robot…?” He asked.

The robot nodded. “Yes. I will be removing Starscream and his nest so you may continue his work.”

“It’s gotta _name_?!” Terry gasped. Kenneth wanted to face palm.

“Yes. He has a name. I have a name as well. I am Optimus Prime. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

 _Optimus Prime_. Kenneth shivered. “It’s nice to meet you to, uh, Sir,” He added. Was that respectful? Whatever, “I- typically, we get up there using the crane, but uh-” he side glanced the crane, “-I don’t know if it will take your weight.”

Optimus sighed. “It will have to do. Agent Fowler,” he motioned to the upset man in the lose tie next to him, “and those he works for will be paying for any damages I, or Starscream, may cause.”

Kenneth sighed. “I’ll go get Harrison then.”

Harrison, the crane guy, was currently tiredly sipping 10 cent coffee in the break room. He gave Kenneth the most tired look when he told the man what he needed. He just sighed, and slapped on his hard hat, grabbing the crane keys on his way out.

  
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An hour and a half later, while Kenneth and Terry watched from a nearby rooftop (as by the time Optimus had gotten up there, they had managed to get the door open without the keys. (Lenny apparently knew how to lock pick.)They could now see the giant robot _carefully_ balancing on a steel beam, trying to edge closer to the winged robot that was starting to wake up. Terry had taken out his phone and started recording.

“’Ah gotta send this to ma dad” was all he said.

Kenneth was just, watching, exhausted. He felt… aged. Like in the past couple hours, his soul had aged 60 years. So, as he watched a giant, buff-as-hell robot edge his way along steel beams barely able to support his weight, he eyed the… robot in the… nest? That was a nest, right? It looked nothing like the “Optimus Prime” fellow. Slim, gray, had wings, looked vaguely _fragile_. Like a bird. Probably explained the nest. He took a step back when Optimus reached out and shook its (his? Hers? Their?) shoulder, not wanting to be close to the thing when it woke up and got mad. They startled awake, took one look at Optimus, and hissed, scrambling into a sitting position.

“Starscream,” Optimus started, with his deep voice that made Kenneth shiver a little bit, “You cannot stay up here. You are disrupting other’s work and scaring the humans. You must move elsewhere.”

“No.”

“Starscream, please. You must move your nest elsewhere.”

“No!”

“Why are you out of the Harbinger anyway.”

The gray winged robot (Starscream? Was that their name?) just tilted his head, before replying in a series of chirps, clicks, and whistles. It hurt Kenneth’s _brain_ to listen to them. Optimus eyebrows (?) just lowered, and he looked slightly frustrated.

“Starscream… you know I can’t understand you.”

Starscream just chirped again, looking a bit mischievous.

“You must move. There are many other buildings around here. I will help you if needed.”

Starscream _smiled_. He chirped again, wiggling his wings and shoulders, looking quite sneaky, before simply saying “No.”

Kenneth actually facepalmed, groaning. Terry looked over at him. Starscream’s glowing red eyes were suddenly on him, wide, but not curious or innocent. They looked slightly upset. Kenneth knew he made a mistake. Optimus noticed the center of Starscream’s ire, and cast Kenneth a small glance.

“Starscream, no. Leave the humans alone. They are not here to harm you. They are curious.”

Starscream gave out some more chirps and whistles, looking over at the two construction workers and pointing with a claw. Optimus nodded. “I’m assuming your asking if they really wont hurt you. No, don’t worry, they won’t. They simply are curious. Leave them be, and they will leave you alone as well. However, they must continue their work, and you are… in the way.”

Starscream huffed, crossing his arms and looking away. It was obvious that, while he possibly didn’t understand what the bigger bot was saying, he understood their tone. It was clear refusal. He wasn’t going to move. Optimus sighed again, looking down at the ground far below him in thought. Kenneth wondered if the company would let them… cut off some floors (”For Safety Reasons, and to not anger a giant robot” sounded like a good enough reason, right?) but then again, the boss got what the boss wanted. And the boss wanted an apartment complex. But surely, his boss would understand… right?

Kenneth coughed, catching the red bots attention,. “Uh, Sir, if I may make a suggestion…”

≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡ _***A YEAR LATER***_ ≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡

Kenneth and Terry were talking to Starscream on the roof next to the apartment complex, holding hands. Kenneth was sipping a beer (he fucking deserved it.) They knew they couldn’t understand him, they didn’t care. Construction had finished a few days ago, and it had been made VERY CLEAR that nobody was to mess with the seeker or his nest. A few months back, someone made that mistake, and Starscream had _thrown_ something quiet heavy at the dude. He had both legs crushed. It took some explaining, and quite a lot of _charades_ , to figure out what happened. Thus, nobody was to mess with the seeker.

But Kenneth and Terry weren’t doing anything, they were just talking.

While holding hands.

Life was beautiful, and so was love.

Starscream was staring intently at them, clearly focused on Terry’s words as he blabbered on and on about something he did to his father as a child. A prank involving ketchup, a fishing line, and a pickle. Kenneth didn’t understand, but he let his boyfriend babble. 

Suddenly, Starscream held up a talon, and Terry quieted down. He turned around, looking in the little pile of objects that the seeker (for some reason) kept around his nest. After losing the FIFTH set of wrenches in one month, and calling Optimus to come down and deal with the seeker (thank GOD the government was paying for any “Starscream Damages.”) they eventually had it explained to them that Starscream collected things he saw as valuable, and put them into highly organized “piles.” Which meant anything shiny. Harrison had called him “A Crow of Massive Proportions” and then went off to trade 2 feet of chain for the wrench set.

Starscream turned back around, and reached across the alleyway with his palm outstretched. Inside was a…. Very small… Platinum ring?

“For me?!” Terry gasped, pointing at the ring and looking absolutely delighted.

Starscream just took the ring in to talons and _gently_ boinked it against Terry’s head, ruffling his hair gently. Terry snorted a little and took it out of his hands. He had no idea how Starscream even _noticed_ the damn thing, it was tiny compared to him. Like an ant compared to a human.

“Aw,” Kenneth smiled, “Its a gift. Just for us.” He leaned his head on Terry’s broad shoulder, looking down at the shiny wing.

Starscream chirped and wiggled his wings happily again, before curling up again in his nest and watching the two humans.

Yes, Life was Beautiful, and a giant robotic bird-jet-thing had just given Kenneth and Terry a gift.

Amazing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to be perfectly honest, I may write a followup chapter about... Starscream harassing the tenets of the building and them giving him shiny stuff... and whatnot. 
> 
> _"This workplace has had ~~100~~ 0 days since the last incident"_ **-Trumpet, 2021.**


End file.
